Another night at Merlotte's was coming to a close. The lingering patrons began to file out, save for Jane Boathouse. She was slouched in her booth and lightly snoring. Her son was already on his way. A well timed phone call was placed ten minutes before closing time to ensure no one had to wait around to see Jane off.
Headlights flashing into the window alerted them to her son's arrival. One of the waitresses went over to her and gently shook her awake, "Ms. Boathouse, your son's here to take you home."
Jane stirred, bleary eyed, "You're always so kind to me, Sookie."
The waitress smiled and helped Jane out of the booth, "It's me, Ms. Boathouse, Adele."
"Oh my, so it is," Jane laughed to herself as she patted her pockets, "That's what I get for forgetting my glasses. Can't see a darn thing."
That and the five screwdrivers you've had.
"I'm sure you just left them at home," Adele assured her.
"Even with them, you're still the spitting image of your mama," Jane pinched Adele's chin as she shuffled her way out the door. "You be good, ya hear?"
Adele waved to Jane's son as she locked the front door. She finished her rounds of check napkin holders and levels of the salt and pepper shakers. Ticking off her duties on her mental closing checklist, she made her way to the back.
"Hey," Adele called, knocking on the open office door.
Sam Merlotte looked up from his spread of paperwork and smiled, "You heading out for the night?"
"Sure am, just wanted to say bye," Adele plopped down into the leather chair in front of Sam's desk, "Also, wanted to let you know for sure I can work the week of my spring break."
This caught Sam by surprise. He was certain his second best waitress would be fully unavailable. "Not doing something with your friends that week?"
"Nah, most of them want to go to a new vamp bar that opened up in New Orleans. Old news to me," she laughed.
"Sure," Sam gave her a half smile, "Well, here's your last paycheck for now. Be glad to see you once you're back in town."
Adele took the envelope from his outstretched hand, "Thanks, Sam. Always happy to be here."
Sam stood and walked around his desk. Adele stood up and took him into an embrace. A wave of bittersweet sadness washed over her. She mentally shook it off. They disentangled.
"Safe travels on your way back."
"I will," she assured him, "I'll stop by the morning I leave for a proper goodbye."
"You best," Sam remarked, mock severely.
Adele gave him a small wave as she left his office and went to her cubby to gather her things. She went into the employees' bathroom to change before heading out. Locking the door, she began to pull out her outfit for her errand at Fangtasia. It was best to look the part if she wanted to go unnoticed by the bar's patrons.
Toeing off her sneakers, Adele shucked her Merlotte's tee and black jeans and shoved them into her tote. She pulled a black velvet mini dress over her head and zipped up the side. The dress was snug against her body and ruched down the middle with a sweetheart neckline. After sliding each leg into her over the knee boots, Adele gave herself a once over in the mirror.
"You're the spitting image of your mama."
Adele replayed that comment over in her head and she turned from side to side. It was true, no two ways about it. The only difference between them was their height. Adele was taller and as the ladies at church would say, quite buxom. But, sharing her likeness with her mother had been causing Adele some distress.
By all accounts, her mother had only dated vampires. Maybe a Were in between, but nary a human man. So how did Sookie Stackhouse have a daughter quite literally made in her image? With magic, of course!
Eric Northman - viking warrior, vampire sheriff, and Sookie's husband - made a very dangerous and dubious choice to try to become human for a day. It worked as it turned out. Sookie's witch friend Amelia was much more competent than she ever let on to Eric. With her help, he was able to surprise his wife with a gift of a day in the sun together.
Now, some twenty years later, his daughter stood in front of a mirror wondering if she also looked too much like him. She may have her mother's features, but they share each other's eyes both in color and shape. They were a stormy blue, almost gray, and to the right person could convey how they felt even when words failed.
Maybe I'll dye my hair. That'll help. Sure, and pigs will fly she thought as she touched up her makeup. She fussed with her long, blonde hair before deciding it looked right. Polishing off the look, she put on a pink leather studded choker with a gold heart shaped ring. Adele grabbed her puffy winter coat from the coat tree by the back door and was soon onto the highway towards Shreveport. It hardly felt like the twenty minute drive it was. But at this point, Adele was sure she could drive to Fangtasia with her eyes closed.
It was nearly midnight when she arrived, and the club was in full swing. Even in the middle of winter, a line was beginning to wrap around the building with tourists, fangbangers (wannabe or otherwise), and a few brave locals. The line could be a mile long and it wouldn't matter, Adele was always let in.
On this particular night, Pam was manning the door. Her Ice Queen visage was turned to eleven when she was on bouncer duty. Even still, the sight of Adele made it break for just a moment.
"Evening Adele," Pam did her best to look unhappy to see yet another human. It nearly made Adele laugh as she was one of the few humans Pam actually adored.
"Is he in or out tonight?"
"In," Pam replied.
"Okay, thanks."
"Sure," Pam said as she unclicked the velvet rope.
Adele maneuvered her way through the throngs of people. It felt like the entire building was vibrating. It was partially because of the DJ, but for Adele it was the frenetic energy of dozens of minds passing through her own. Usually, she was able to keep them at bay but given the late hour and a long day of work, it was becoming increasingly difficult.
'Never seen her before…" "...wow her tits are…" "ugh another pathetic fangbanger, I would never…" "I bet she gets any vamp she wants…" "...wish I could get me a piece of that…"
Leaving the main room, Adele made her way down a long corridor guarded by a vampire at its entrance. The noise of the music and people lessened the further she went. Stopping at the last door, she gave a swift knock and then entered.
Closing the door quickly behind her, Adele let out a small sigh as she rested against it. This did not go unnoticed by Eric, who quickly turned to face her from behind his desk.
"Are you alright, my älskling?"
"Yeah, Just a long day, pulled a double cause Stephanie couldn't make it in. So, I'm having trouble keeping everyone out of my head."
"You should've gone home instead."
Adele migrated to the couch in front of his desk, "I know, but I wanted to stop by to say 'hi' and get a belated Christmas gift for Erin."
"Erin's the one who found the calendar?" Eric grinned.
"...yes. We needn't talk about that anymore though."
He laughed as he cleaned up some invoices scattered across his desk, "Fair enough."
"Is Pam on the door all night?"
"She is."
"Oh, well, she and I will have to catch up another time."
"She mentioned stopping by the house before you leave. Which reminds me, are you fully packed?" Eric asked, glancing up from the paperwork.
"No, but!" Adele said quickly to stave off the "You Need to Stop Procrastinating, Adele" speech. "I still need to pick up a few things at the store and I have two whole days to do that and my last bit of laundry."
He was unconvinced, "I'm fairly certain you told me this exact line before your fall semester. I'm not flying you down anything this time around if you forget anything."
"I know, I know. I'll have everything together," she promised.
"Okay," Eric relented, although not fully swayed.
They chatted a while longer, which filled Eric with more emotion than he ever thought he could have. He had grown accustomed to their long talks, especially as Adele got older since she could stay up longer. Eric felt he was always catching up with her, which hurt him in an ill-defined way. That hurt grew when his daughter left for school and he could not see her nightly. Texts and calls were fine, but a poor substitute for the real thing.
Adele looked down at her phone, it was past one and so it was time for her to leave. They both stood but Eric stopped her before leaving. He placed a kiss on her forehead and pulled Adele into a hug. Eric sighed, "I know it's hard for your mother to see you already in college. It must seem like time is moving too quickly for her. The years feel like not but a few weeks. But, for me, it's as if you left for kindergarten one morning and came back college-bound by the afternoon and I missed both you leaving and coming back."
"Dad, are you okay?" Adele was taken aback.
"Yes, it's just that," he paused, "I never thought I would have the chance to raise a child of my own again and it feels like it's passing me by already."
"I still have a whole lifetime of guidance I need," she assured him, "Maybe by the time I'm forty the Procrastination Speech will have finally gotten through."
He chuckled as cupped her face and looked down at her, "Yes, perhaps by then. But, there's one more thing I need to impart on you before you go home."
"What's that?"
"You need to stop dressing like this when you come here."
Adele rolled my eyes, "Come on, Dad."
"I can't have my only daughter looking like…a loose woman of the night."
She barked out a laugh, "Seriously, Dad, a 'loose woman'? You might as well call me a trollop."
"I wasn't sure if you'd know what that was," he shrugged, letting go of her face.
"Dad, it's the twenty-first century. You can't keep pushing your puritanical generational ideology on me," Adele replied, half joking.
"Puritanical, you say?" Now he was laughing, "Do you even know when the Puritans existed? Or when I was human?"
"No, I am very bad at history."
He shook his head, smirking, "I just want you safe. I can't extend my protection over you the way I can with Pam."
"I can take care of myself. You and mom taught me how. Plus, I should be able to dress how I want."
"I know, and you're right."
She hugged him again, "I'll see you tomorrow night."
"Text me so I know you got home."
"I will."
Leaving his office, Adele was greeted by the bumping tones of the DJ again. She made her way to the souvenir stand and was surprised to see Pam there. Strangely, there were no guests clamoring to buy merch. They were probably working up the nerve to even approach her.
"I thought you were on the door all night."
"I am, but some tourist was so nervous to even enter he threw up. The other vampires can deal with that until the smell dissipates," she said dryly.
"It's hard to believe people get worked up like that just to come to a bar."
Pam shrugged, "When your life is mundane, even a road detour is an adventure. You need anything? Another calendar, perhaps?"
Adele rolled her eyes, "No, just a t-shirt, medium please."
Pam turned and pulled one out of the stock bin and placed it into a souvenir tote. It was their classic design, Fangtasia in script as it appeared on the neon sign with "Life begins at Night" underneath. She handed it off to her, "Are you ever going to bring this vampire aficionado to meet me?"
"Not when you ask as if she's a five course meal," Adele laughed.
"I'll behave."
"Maybe over break," she replied as she pulled the shirt out of the bag, "I cannot believe people pay $45 for this."
"It's a steal, the bars in New Orleans charge at least $60," Pam said matter-of-factly.
They shared a goodbye and soon Adele was back onto the highway. She drove in silence, happy to have only her thoughts to occupy her mind. The Stackhouse family home soon came into view. Adele parked under the carport and entered through the kitchen. She was surprised to see the lights still on.
"Mama?" she called as she walked through the kitchen.
"In here."
Following her mother's voice into the living room, she found her sitting with their neighbor, Bill Compton. It looked like they had been talking for a while, evident by the empty TruBlood bottle on the coffee table.
"Evening Bill, didn't know you were dropping by."
"A short call that turned into a long stay," Bill explained, "Your mother and I got caught up in town gossip as it were."
While Bill was diligent with updating his vampire database he was also a secret gossip, which worked nicely hand-in-hand. Gathering information to build vampiric and biological family trees lead to stories of black sheeps, affairs, and illegitimate children. All of which Bill was more than happy to indulge. Most never made it into the archive, but the price of information was always on the rise.
"Between the two of you, you have all waking hours covered I'm sure," Adele chuckled.
"There's dinner in the fridge for you, if you're hungry."
"I ate at work, but I'll have it tomorrow."
Sookie smiled, "Sure thing, baby. You need anything?"
"No, just gonna shower and crash I think. It was good to see you, Bill," Adele answered.
"Likewise, if I don't see you before your leave, have a good semester."
"Thanks," Adele smiled, "Goodnight."
She headed into the hallway bathroom and started the shower. Undressing quickly, Adele stepped under the warm spray and sighed contently. She let the water pour over for a few minutes before sudsing up.
Lingering a bit longer, Adele turned off the faucet and toweled off. Wrapping herself in her favorite, fluffy bathrobe she headed into her bedroom. She put on some pajamas and was soon tucking herself into bed. She sent a quick text to her father saying she made it home. Pulling her crazy quilt up to her chin, Adele scrolled through her various timelines to see what she missed during her double shift.
Soon she was too tired to even swipe her thumb up and down. Placing her phone on the bedside table, she quickly drifted off to sleep.
Sookie let her daughter linger in bed as long as their schedule would allow. They had quite a few errands to run. Leaning against the door, Sookie listened intently but didn't hear any movement. She knocked softly and cracked the door open.
"Adele?" she called. No answer.
Crossing the length of the room, Sookie sat on the edge of the bed and gently stroked Adele's arm. "We can't lay about anymore, my love." She said softly.
Adele stirred and turned towards her mother. Her eyes still closed and voice groggy, "What time izit?"
"Almost ten," Sookie replied.
"Mmmokay," she yawned.
Smiling, Sookie stood, "Maybe I can entice you with your favorite breakfast?"
Adele cracked an eye open, "Gran's biscuits and gravy?"
"Just waiting for the biscuits to be finished in the oven," Sookie patted Adele's leg before heading back into the kitchen.
Sitting up, Adele stretched and yawned dramatically. She stepped into her slippers and made her way towards the bathroom. Reemerging, Adele joined her mother at the kitchen table where a plate had been made and was waiting for her. Without a word, Adele dug in and sighed contently.
"So, you just need to restock the pantry?" Sookie asked, pen and notepad in hand.
"Mhmm," Adele nodded, mouth still full, "And paper products."
"Okay, we'll add that to the list too."
"Might as well go out to the big shopping center in Shreveport then," Sookie tapped her pen against her lip, "I need to pick up a few things for dinner tonight too."
"I thought we'd just do pizza like we usually do the night before I go back."
"Well it's your last semester, I wanted to do something a little different."
Adele eyed her mother, suspicion creeping into her voice, "Mama what's going on?"
"Nothing, I just invited some folks over for dinner is all," Sookie shrugged.
Staring at her longer, Adele tried to use her mental perception to gather more information, but Sookie quickly batted away her attempt, "You did not just try to use your telepathy on me, little girl."
"Then tell me," Adele pleaded.
Sookie chuckled, "Okay, okay. So I invited Hunter, Amelia, Jason, Michelle, Corbett and Marie over."
"We don't need to make a whole thing of this."
"We do though! You're the first to graduate college in our family. Corbett and Marie just started so it'll be a little while until we can celebrate again," Sookie paused, "Plus, seeing you succeed despite the telepathy just makes me very happy."
"Well now we have to have dinner."
"That's what I thought," Sookie grinned.
They chatted about the dinner menu as they finished breakfast. Soon the dishes were done and the two telepaths were dressing for the day. They piled into Sookie's SUV and headed down Hummingbird Lane. The familiar sites of driving to Shreveport passed by them. They basked in the warmth of the unusually sunny day as they walked from the parking lot into the store. It made them feel even more alive.
They didn't make it very far into their shopping trip before being hailed by Tara. She and Sookie chatted for a while as Adele went about doing their shopping. Her mother caught up with her a little while later and recounted the going ons with Tara.
Predictably, they bought more than they meant to. Adele saw a cute shower curtain for the apartment she shared with her friends near school. Oh, and a couple potted plants to replace the ones that fell victim to Adele's black thumb. Sookie spied a comforter set she'd been eyeing on clearance and scooped it up. Granted, she didn't need to wait or hope for something to go on sale. Eric's income from the bar alone was enough to keep them more than comfortable. But, that comfort still felt new to her and so Sookie still kept her job at Merlotte's much to Eric's protest. Although, she didn't work nearly the same amount of hours as she once did.
The sun began to recede behind the horizon by the time the pair returned home. The stark shadows born from the winter sun gave the house an unearthly look to it. Unloading their purchases in the kitchen, they began organizing dinner prep.
Eric rose right after nightfall and not a minute later. In a flash he was dressed and following the food smells into the kitchen. He found his family abuzz with purpose, moving deftly around the kitchen. Both women turned, sensing the familiar void approaching.
"Evening," he greeted.
"Have a good rest?" Sookie asked as she kissed him quickly before returning to the stove.
"Very."
"You look dressed to go to the bar," Adele eyed him up and down.
"Woke to a 'distressed' text from the day manager," Eric sighed.
Adele frowned, "Will you be gone all night?"
"No, I'll be back by dessert," Eric assured his daughter as he dropped a wink to Sookie once Adele's back was turned.
"Okay, good!"
Eric bid his farewell and took to the sky. Mother and daughter resumed their cooking, their guests would be arriving at any moment. No sooner had the thought crossed her mind, Sookie sensed the frenetic mind of a Were approaching her homestead. Jason unceremoniously entered the house from the front door.
"Sook? Del?"
"Kitchen," Sookie called.
The elder Stackhouse sibling led his family through the house, bringing a commotion of thoughts and conversation. He greeted his sister and niece with a hug and kiss both.
"How's my favorite niece?" Jason smiled, which made him appear even younger than he already looked. "Ready for the final semester?"
"No," Adele laughed, "After this, I have to be a real adult."
Jason laughed, "I'm sure your mama will tell you it took me quite a few years to 'be a real adult' too."
"Your Uncle Jason's still working on that," Michelle teased as she passed by, side dishes in hand.
"It's a steep learning curve," he shrugged.
The house vibrated with a hubbub of energy. Michelle relinquished Adele of kitchen duty so she could catch up with her cousins in the living room. They swapped stories of college and their adventures during break. Before the cousins could delve deeper into the new revelation of Adele's maybe boyfriend, the doorbell rang.
Opening the front door, Adele found both Amelia and Hunter who had arrived within minutes of each other.
Hugs were swapped and the pair was directed into the kitchen. Soon everyone was called into the dining room. Grace was said and everyone began to dig in. Compliments were passed around to both Sookie and Adele between mouthfuls.
"So, Del, what are your plans for after graduation?" Michelle asked as everyone pushed back their plates.
"Honestly, I'm not sure," Adele shrugged, "I'm going to start submitting my portfolio to a few animation studios as a start."
"There's no need to rush into anything. Enjoy this time of no responsibility," Michelle assured her.
"Agreed, this is the most free time you'll ever have," Amelia laughed.
Jason and the twins took up clearing the table while Sookie set out a spread of desserts and coffee. As promised, Eric returned as everyone was sitting down for cake.
"Evening, everyone," he announced himself as he entered the dining room.
The group assented a hello and made room for Eric to join them at the table, but he declined.
"Everything at the bar okay?" Adele asked.
"Just fine now, but no time to sit and chit chat."
"More work?" his daughter's brow furrowed.
"For me, yes, but for you my älskling, it is anything but," Eric grinned as he produced two concert tickets.
Adele's eyes grew large with wonder as she took the tickets from her father's hand. They were for her favorite band, Bloodlust, the most notable vampire group to date. Jumping up and down, she leapt into her father's arms and showered him with many 'thank yous.'
"I didn't even know they were playing around here!"
"The show is at Roslin's."
That tidbit of information pushed Adele's excitement to 11. Roslin's, a Supe-only bar, was only one of the two in the state. The other was naturally in New Orleans. But this meant she was able to relax her mental shields. A stray human here and there would probably be there as well but one mind was easy to keep at bay.
"I have to change!" she gasped, but soon collected herself, "I really appreciate everyone coming over to help kick off my last semester. I'm sorry to leave so abruptly!"
Jason waved her off, "You have us forever, Del. But a killer concert? Those are far and few between."
Adele grinned and bid another goodbye. She raced off to her bedroom to scour her closet for any outfit worthy of an event such as this.
Back at the table, Amelia turned to Sookie, "Well, I think it's safe to say dinner has officially concluded."
"I think so," Sookie laughed.
Michelle and Jason corralled their kids out there while Hunter and Amelia stayed for clean up. They made sure Sookie did not participate. By the time Adele emerged, the dining room had been righted and found everyone milling around the kitchen. Unsatisfied with what she found in her closet, she donned her outfit from the previous night. Her hair was put into a high ponytail and her make up minimal but dramatic. Her eyeliner was an electric blue which made her eyes dazzle. She stamped a black heart high on her cheek to finish off the look.
"Ready?" she asked eagerly.
"I can tell you are," Eric laughed, "but, yes I am."
Adele turned to Hunter and Amelia, "Will you two stay the night?"
Both nodded in unison. Hunter, Amelia, and Sookie could talk until the sun rose so it had become custom for one or both to stay the night.
"Your mom and I haven't seen each other in person in a while so we have lots to talk about," Amelia grinned.
"And I wouldn't miss out on an Aunt Sookie breakfast," Hunter added.
Adele grinned, relieved knowing she'd still have more time to spend with her family the following morning. She hugged them both followed by her mother.
"If y'all aren't still up trading northern Louisiana gossip, I'll see y'all in the morning."
The trio bid father and daughter goodbye as they left through the mud room to Eric's Corvette.
"So, what business do you have at a semi-private concert?"
"An off-the-books business associate has been taking advantage of the off-the-books status."
"You're not like…gonna cause a scene right? I really want to see this concert in its entirety."
Eric cocked an eyebrow, looking at her briefly, "Have I ever let my work interfere with your enjoyment?"
"No, but, this is like the first time I'm going to a business thing with you."
"The associate happens to be there tonight, otherwise it would have been a lovely father-daughter evening thank you very much," Eric feigned offense.
Adele laughed, "Okay, okay. Sorry for the third degree."
The drive passed quickly, although it felt torturously long to Adele. As they approached Roslin's from the street, they felt the power of a warding spell in effect. Passing through the barrier as they approached the valet caused a ripple of nausea to run through Adele. This did not go unnoticed by Eric.
"It'll pass in a few minutes," he assured her.
"Not soon enough."
Eric handed his keys off to the valet and helped Adele out of the car. She let out a long exhale as they walked into the building. Eric flashes their tickets to the security just beyond the door. The attendant nodded and handed him two badges.
"What's that?"
Eric handed one over to her. It was a thick plastic, with the band's logo, tour name, and "VIP" in big bold letters. Adele stared at it in amazement. She looked up at her father, her eyes misting over.
"Being Sheriff has its perks," Eric dropped a wink.
Walking down the short hallway to the main area, their demeanors changed. They were less familiar and open. Their arms were linked together but that was the only physical contact they would allow anyone to observe.
"Feeling better?" he murmured.
"Yes."
"Good."
From the outside, the bar was nondescript if not bland. The interior was anything but, it was opulent and not in an overly gaudy way that the tourist bars were adorned. Roslin's was sleek and modern. Instead of crushed velvet and black lace it was leather and dark wood with iron accents.
The room was split into two levels. The upper level had the bar proper and various seating arrangements from semi-private booths to high tops. The lower level usually housed the dance floor and DJ booth, but tonight a stage was set up. Supes and a few humans were milling about in clusters all around. Adele could feel the anticipation in the air, which was amplified by the high energy nature of Were minds.
"Go on ahead," Eric said, leaning closer to her but without making eye contact, "Better for us to be separate for a while."
Adele followed her father's line of sight to a table in the far corner. Two vamps and a middle aged man sat together. The man became visibly distressed upon locking eyes with Eric.
Leaving her father, she took the short staircase down to the lower level. Some fans began to crowd around the barrier in front of the stage. Adele also made her way over, but any spot would be a good view.
The crowd grew denser and soon roared with applause and cheers as the lights dimmed. Slowly each band member appeared and took their place on stage. Last to come out was their lead singer and guitarist, Dane, who without a word tapped his foot rhythmically and they began to play.
Adele danced and sang her voice nearly hoarse to a 90 minute set of their hits and rarely played B-sides. A twang of bittersweetness crossed her, she wished her best friend was there. Adele wasn't even sure if she could properly explain how she got to see the band in the first place.
Being vampires, they didn't need to take a break but did so anyway as a perfunctory acknowledgement of all in attendance. Dane grinned a toothy smile.
"We'd like to thank everyone who came out. It's hard to do secret shows anymore so we'd also like to thank Roslin's for graciously hosting us as well. Loathed as we are to do so, we must say goodbye but we have one more song for you."
Strumming a few notes, the band began their first hit and the crowd lost it. Adele jumped up and down, freaking out with a neighboring fan when she suddenly stopped. She felt the unmistakable pressure of another mind trying to influence her own. Looking around, she saw the entire crowd absolutely enamored — even the other girl she was just dancing with. It was hard not to be, especially with Dane. He was built like a Greek statue.
The mental intrusion attempted to draw her in again. A vampire was trying to glamour her. Turning back to the stage, Adele saw Dane looking steadfast at her.
'Why isn't it working?'
'Why what?'
'The glamour.'
"Oh shit," she whispered.
Dane kept a straight face, but his eyes never left Adele. The song concluded and the band left the stage. From the shadows, she could see him looking back over his shoulder.
She ascended the stairs and met Eric at the top. He appeared a little pinker but immensely more satisfied. Adele was about to bring up the errant thought she heard from Dane, but thought better of it. No Supe in earshot needed to know she possibly heard what she did. Least of all another vampire.
Badges in hand, they were guided backstage by a frazzled assistant. The band was spread across the room, but when Eric entered they came over to greet him with a dutiful inclination of the head. Knowing his daughter and her "secret" crush on Dane, Eric allowed himself to be led off into conversation by the bassist and drummer.
Adele felt ridiculous for having butterflies of exhilaration ripple through her. She could barely maintain eye contact as Dane approached her.
"Hi," she said lamely.
Dane grinned, "Eric is lucky to have you as his date tonight."
"Oh, he's only my escort here."
"I've never known Eric to be "only" anything to a woman."
"I assure you he is," Adele said.
He looked over to Eric and his band mates then back to Adele, "So does this mean you're not spoken for?"
"Well, seeing as I'm the only one who can speak for myself I can safely say that I am not," Adele was slightly tickled by his antiquated turn of phrase. Although, she had a twang of guilt since she was sort-of seeing someone back at school. A few dates and one make out session hardly made them a couple though.
"Then would you care to join me for a drink?"
Before she could answer, she felt her father's presence behind her. He was nearly staring daggers at Dane.
"You're not trying to get a taste of my companion are you?" Eric's words were bitten out.
"Never, I was only hoping for her company for the remainder of the evening," Dane lowered his head in deference.
Eric turned to Adele, "Is this something you would also like?"
I know we have to keep up the pretense but come on, Dad. Like my answer would be anything else!
"Yes, I would," Adele nodded.
"Very well. You have my permission then."
"I didn't realize I needed it," Dane chuckled.
"You are a guest in my Area, if you breathed you'd need my permission to do so."
"You're right, I apologize."
Eric pointed at him, "If I find any trace of you on Adele, there will be no more words."
"Understood."
Turning to his daughter, Eric fished out the valet ticket from his wallet and handed it to her. He leaned over so his face was parallel with hers, "If I do find any trace of him on you, you will not see the light of day for a very long time."
Straightening, Eric cast another glance at Dane and then to his daughter. With a slight nod, he left.
Adele was mortified to say the least.
"I am so sorry, he's usually not this direct."
"Are you sure you aren't his? He certainly seems to think so."
"You said something about a drink?" Adele asked in lieu of answering.
Dane stuck out his arm, which she took. He led her to a private booth out in the bar. They sat nearly side-by-side rather than across from another. A bartender came by with a mini-bar station and prepared their drinks. A TruBlood for Dane and a vodka soda for Adele.
"How do you know Eric?" Dane asked after a long sip.
"Through my mother, she works with a lot of Supes."
"I see, your mother must be quite the asset to Eric for him to extend his protection on to you."
"It's a good working marriage."
"No doubt," Dane finished his bottle and another soon appeared.
"How long have you known him?"
He thought for a moment, she could almost hear him listing off the decades in his head, "Going on about 500 years. We met in the Old World. Can't say he's changed much. At least to me."
"He's hard to read for sure," Adele nursed her drink, but being the lightweight that she was, the little bit of alcohol she consumed made her feel bolder, "Can you glamour large groups of people?"
"I was wondering when you bring it up," Dane laughed.
"Looks like it only takes half a vodka tonic," she grinned, holding up her glass.
"But to answer your question: yes, I can."
"Like…50 people or like a whole stadium?"
"Something in between, but closer to 50 than a stadium."
She took another sip, "Are you telepathic?"
"No, but sometimes when I glamour only one person I can hear their thoughts."
Adele paused, realizing she was breaking the etiquette of human-vampire interaction, "Oh, I'm sorry I didn't mean to get too personal."
"It's fine, I rather like your comfortability with my kind. It's refreshing."
"It's second nature for me."
"As is your telepathy I would imagine."
"So, you did hear me," she whispered, her heart began to race.
Dane nodded, "Which also makes you quite the asset in Eric's retinue as well."
"I'm not involved in anything he does. Here for the perks though."
"As am I."
Dane leaned in closer, his eyes half lidded. His nose nuzzled her cheek, "May I kiss you?"
"What?" Adele felt almost dizzy. He couldn't have said what she thought he did.
"I would like to kiss you," Dane said unequivocally, "Would you like that as well?"
"I would."
He brushed his lips against hers before diving into a full kiss, which she eagerly reciprocated. She wasn't sure if it was her drink or the absurd improbability of the situation at hand, but she felt euphoric. The kiss turned into another, which Adele did not expect. His tongue coaxed her lips apart and found her own. Dane kissed her harder, drawing her closer into his lap. Adele could feel she wasn't the only one who was excited. Her fingers entangled in his dark, wavy hair. She broke away to catch her breath. He gave her a fangy smile as he cupped the back of her neck. Adele shivered under his touch, which sent a bolt of electricity through her ending between her legs.
"We could go somewhere more private."
Adele hesitated. In any grand daydream she had about this exact scenario the answer was always yes. But, this was real life and even if they parted ways right after their interlude trying to sneak in when one of your parents is a vampire is truly impossible. Being this close to Dane already was probably going to get her a lecture.
"There's no expectation," he assured her.
"It's not that," Adele sighed, "Eric…I'm probably going to catch shit for being this close already. Trust me, it's not that I don't want to."
"It's just as well. I'd like to take you on a proper date anyway."
"Ah, to wine and dine me first?"
"Hardly." Dane laughed, "We can fuck before the date too."
She shook her head, smiling, "Then why a date?"
"I want to spend time with you," he paused, "There's something about you that I want to know more of."
"Well, I would like that very much."
He smiled and kissed her softly. They disentangled and Dane handed Adele his phone to input her number. The melodic whoosh of a text being sent chimed. Her phone buzzed, which she opened to see his message. It was a vampire and eggplant emoji.
"Really?"
"So you know who it is," Dane shrugged, clearly amused with himself.
They scooted out of the booth and Dane walked her to the valet. While they waited, Dane signed her VIP badge. Her father's Corvette soon pulled around. She tipped the driver as Dane held the door open for her.
"We have a couple more shows to do, but by next month I'm free."
"I'm looking forward to it."
"As am I. Goodnight, Adele."